Smoke on the Water
by DoubleTrouble28513
Summary: An inaudible shockwave rent the room, throwing him backward. His wife gasped and held her breath. Thirty long seconds later, they sat up, struggling to breathe. "What was that?" * *Title and rating subject to change* *
1. Grow Old With Me

_Okay, we know we haven't updated our existing stories/storylines recently. But Tracy just saw Sorcerer's Apprentice and had this little plot-bunny take up residence in her brain immediately. So, we'll see if this gets some love from Tracy! By the way, if you think we own this, we also have a swamp in the Sahara Desert for you to check out! _

_And one more thing - the title may or may not be involved in the plot. It was the song I was listening to as I typed this up. If anyone can think up a better title, let me know! Please and thanks!_

* * *

"You may now kiss the bride," the officiator proclaimed. Even before the statement had been finished, the groom leaned forward and kissed his bride with the passion of a millennium's wait. When they finally broke apart, both grinning like loons, the officiator announced, "It is my honor to present to you, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Balthazar Blake!"

The small gathering, consisting of no more than 15 guests, clapped in celebration as the newlyweds proceeded to the back of the room to wait for their witnesses. Only the four of them stepped out of the justice's office.

"Gees, Balthazar," the best man griped, smiling, "give a guy a break, would you?"

Balthazar finally tore his eyes from Veronica's. "Did you just say something, Dave?"

"Yeah. It's hard enough to live up to your standards during training, and now I have to live up to that?"

The blonde-haired maid of honor at Dave's side pulled him into a kiss ten years in the making. They broke apart, blushing, when Veronica sighed suggestively, "I don't think you and Becky will have any problems there."

* * *

It was easily past midnight. Although Veronica was sleeping peacefully, Balthazar could only watch her lovingly, his mind restless. Becky and Dave had treated them to dinner at one of the formal restaurants in town, since a wedding reception for four people was slightly over the top. Dave had also given Balthazar the keys to his lab, which the sorcerer had appreciated for more than one reason.

An inaudible rumble rent the room, ripping Balthazar from his thoughts. He felt his heart skip a beat as the shockwave forced his chair backward. Veronica, awakening from her deep sleep, gasped once and held her breath. Thirty long seconds later, they sat up, struggling to breathe, and stared at each other.

An instant later, Balthazar's new cell phone rang. He levitated it and quickly summoned it to him. He didn't even glance at the caller ID - as of that moment, only three people had his number, and one couldn't work a phone.

Dave's anxious voice came through, crystal clear. "Please tell me you felt that shockwave, too."

"I would have told you you're crazy," Balthazar replied humorlessly as he grabbed some clean clothes. "But not breathing for a minute scared the sense of humor out of me."

Dave let out a sigh of semi-relief. "So what was that?"

The older man shook his head. "I don't know. Meet me outside your building in ten minutes, and we'll find out."

Fifteen minutes later, Veronica and Becky watched the two men take to the air on a steel eagle. As Becky led her upstairs, Veronica grumbled darkly, "Men and their 'I know everything' bravado."

"That hasn't changed since the dawn of time," Becky laughed, "and I somehow doubt it ever will."


	2. Midnight Flyer

_Well, well... you guys certainly put the pressure on... three positive reviews? I am actually scared that this won't live up to your expectations. Anyway, no clue when the next update will come. Probably when I come up with the next bit of the story... duh, stupid me. Enjoy!_

* * *

The steel eagle brought Balthazar and Dave to the top of the Empire State Building. Dave climbed onto the roof, slightly pale. Balthazar jumped right behind him. "You're doing much better about the whole flying thing, Dave," the sorcerer quipped dryly.

"It's a whole lot easier when you trust the pilot," Dave retorted.

Balthazar looked out over New York City, smirking slightly as he cast his tracking spell. "So it had nothing to do with taking Becky to Paris last week?" Dave's answering blush went unnoticed when Balthazar frowned and asked, "Do you see the source of the disturbance?"

"You haven't taught me that little trick with the smoke yet."

The sorcerer glared, though his apprentice had merely stated a fact. "Can you see any smoke?"

The two concentrated for a moment. "Not from this side of the building," Dave finally answered. "You sure it came from this direction?"

Balthazar considered the boy's words carefully. "No. You're right."

"I'm what?"

"Right. Correct. Veracious. However you'd like me to say it." He paused a second as a smirk lit Dave's face. "Don't expect me to admit it again. As I was saying, the shockwave moved west; therefore, it must have come from the east." They moved to the opposite side of the building, eyes searching north and south as they walked.

"There," Dave pointed east-northeast of their position, before Balthazar could focus on his spell again. "You see it? Almost on the water."

"That little wisp of smoke?" Balthazar wondered uncertainly.

"It's just the distance," Dave insisted. "That's it. I know it is." Balthazar raised an eyebrow. "Besides time with our wonderful women, what do we have to lose?"

A soft, metallic flapping sounded just below them. Dave jumped onto the eagle's back. Balthazar joined him carefully. "All right. We'll check it out. But if it's a house fire, you get to put it out."

"Deal," Dave agreed. After several seconds, he added, "If we're gonna keep using this bird as our travel agent, we should give him a name."

Balthazar stared at him in confusion. "What did you have in mind?"

"Henley," Dave replied as they flew over the city.

* * *

The cloud of smoke slowly grew in size as they flew, past Hartford and Mystic, CT, and over Providence, RI. Dave threw a pointed look over his shoulder. Balthazar groaned. "So what? Get over it." Together, they watched as the cloud formed a dark funnel, about 20 miles away.

They soared to the epicenter, landing Henley in the parking lot of a hardware store. The funnel of smoke followed a young woman as she passed in front of the local cemetery, right next to their location.

The two sorcerers looked around, slightly disturbed by the lack of life in the town. Not a single house light was turned on. Not a single car could be found on the road, not even parked cars. "Where is everyone?" Dave wondered.

"It's like someone rolled up the streets," Balthazar agreed. "The local cops must love working the night shift."

"At the same time, though," Dave countered logically, looking at his watch, "it is 1:30 in the morning, so I'll cut the residents some - Hey! Where are you going?"

Balthazar didn't reply as he ran ahead, passing the oblivious girl. About 20 feet in front of her, he stopped and turned to face her. "Excuse me," he said as she came closer. She paused at the sound of his voice. "Do you know where I can get some gas? I ran out a mile back…"

"Gotta get home," the girl mumbled incoherently, her dazed eyes meeting Balthazar's without seeing him. "Gotta tell them … home …"

Dave approached silently, wondering what Balthazar had said. The older man shot him a warning glare, which he obeyed without a second thought.

The girl's rambling stopped suddenly, the glazed look in her eyes more pronounced. Balthazar stepped closer, concern for her well-being evident on his face. An earth-shattering explosion ripped through the air as the girl collapsed. Balthazar caught her before she hit the ground. Dave looked around wildly, plasma bolts flaring up in his hands as he tried to determine what had blown up.

"Dave!" the older man snapped. "Something fell out of her pocket. I can't get it."

Allowing one of the bolts to fizzle out, the apprentice picked up the laminated plastic. "It's her license. Bailey Williams, she's 17. Lives at 783 Pawtucket Ave, Tiverton."

Her light brown hair blew into Balthazar's face as sirens wailed. Two fire trucks and an ambulance raced past them toward the source of the explosion. With a practiced ease, Balthazar shifted the teen, her head against his shoulder, and cradled her in the fireman's hold. Slowly and deliberately, he walked back to the post office. Dave followed, climbing onto Henley first then levitating the other passengers to the steel eagle's back.

"Follow the fire trucks," Balthazar instructed. "Something doesn't feel right."

Dave needed no directions; the flames provided the necessary beacon. Henley touched down again a few blocks from the fire, and the apprentice jumped off, instinctively knowing what to ask.

Balthazar lifted the girl's head and stared in shock. Where moments before had been flawless skin, he found a battered, bloody face. Scratches ran down both her pale cheeks. She now sported a black eye and a fat lip. Blood from a shallow shoulder wound stained his shirt and seeped through. The old sorcerer grimaced despite himself; once the blood dried, he would have a hard time getting the shirt off.

He cradled her gently once more as Dave ran back. "Bad news," the younger man gasped as he climbed onto Henley's back behind Balthazar. "It was her house that went up. And her parents were inside, asleep. So far, rescue has found two charred right arms." He paused. "The smoke led to her. She caused the shockwave, right?" When Balthazar nodded slowly, he continued, "So how is it that the house exploded an hour and a half later?"

* * *

_Sorry! I forgot to mention a little trivia challenge. Brownie points to whomever can guess the significance behind the eagle's name. I'll give you a hint: TAKE IT EASY. ONE OF THESE NIGHTS, you'll have a PEACEFUL EASY FEELING, courtesy of the TEQUILA SUNRISE at the HOTEL CALIFORNIA._


	3. Purple Rain

_Hey hey hey! Back again! So, Sarah got the reference completely righ, but I'm giving half-credit to Barbie. Henley is indeed referencing Don Henley of the Eagles. Hope I didn't give it away with the hints. Lol. Anyway, who's up for more? Good!_

_

* * *

_Henley dropped the three passengers off at Dave's lab and flew off to rejoin the Empire State Building. Dave opened the doors and walked in front of Balthazar, both doing everything they could to make sure that the girl was not injured further.

"Mother of God," Veronica breathed. "What happened? Is she all right?" She waved her hand indiscriminately, and one of the cages Dave kept around turned into a low straw-filled pallet. "Set her down, already!"

Balthazar smiled wistfully. God, he had missed her. Of Merlin's three apprentices, Veronica had been the best at healing and subtle magic, Balthazar at deception and defense, and Horvath at straight offense and rituals. Granted, all of them had learned Merlin's lessons despite their weaknesses in particular fields. And while Balthazar had 1300 years of practical experience that Veronica had been gypped, he knew that her instincts and abilities in this still outstripped his own.

He set the girl on the bed and banished it to the center of the Merlin Circle. Veronica followed, and the outer ring flared up with iridescent fire. Twenty-five minutes later, the pearly flames died out. Veronica looked drained. "What happened to her?" she asked again as Balthazar led her to a chair.

"We have no idea," he said. "She was wandering around, slightly clueless but otherwise fine. Then she collapsed, and a house a couple miles away blew up."

"Turns out, it was her house," Dave added sadly. "Her parents were inside. They didn't make it."

"And that's about when I saw the bruises," Balthazar concluded. "We came straight back."

"You were gone for three hours," Becky pointed out.

"Yeah…" Dave hesitated. "She was in Rhode Island."

Becky stared at the men incredulously. After a moment of sputtering, she declared, "We're gonna have a nice, long talk in the morning." She huffed and stalked out of the lab, followed closely by Dave.

Veronica looked at Balthazar in confusion. "What is wrong with taking her from another town?"

Balthazar cringed. "Let's just say it's not the most legal thing I've ever done. Come on, I'm exhausted. Let's go to bed."

As they walked to the back part of the lab, which they had partitioned off to serve as a bedroom, the girl screamed, a terrified sound. Veronica rushed back to her patient, but a wall of pure white flames erupted from the Merlin Circle. Veronica's surprised shrieks joined the girl's.

Balthazar stepped behind her. Rubbing his neck sheepishly with one hand, he put the other on her shoulder. "Did I mention … she might be a sorceress?"

* * *

The girl screamed in her sleep off and on for the next 45 hours. Neither Dave nor Veronica could calm her. When Balthazar approached her, she merely whimpered quietly, though muffled screams occasionally escaped her lips. But she seemed perfectly at ease with Becky, who took to spending as much time at the lab as she could so no one could call the cops about a torture victim.

Suddenly, exactly 48 hours after the shockwave, the girl stilled. The wall of white flames died out. Balthazar and Veronica, maintaining a vigil from a pair of chairs, each let out an exhausted sigh. Within two minutes, they were both sound asleep.

Six in the morning found Bailey waking up silently. Her eyes registered the stone floor, the impossibly high windows, the copper Tesla coils. She ran her hand through her hair nervously and noticed how greasy it felt. Soundlessly, she stood up and walked to where her instincts told her the bathroom was. On the way, she picked up the green T-shirt and denim skirt left on one of the tables.

She let the hot water run over her for the first five minutes, loving how it eased the muscle aches she hadn't even noticed. She felt like she had been beat to hell and back. The longer the water beat against her back, the better she felt. With her eyes closed to guard against the shampoo suds, she didn't see the bathroom light flashing amethyst three times.

The water turned off. That's what woke Balthazar. He kept his eyes closed for several seconds, savoring the feel of Veronica's head on his shoulder. He slowly opened his eyes, squinting in the early morning light. He looked around, noticing the etchings in the floor and the continued lack of flames. His eyes raised to the bed in the center of the Circle.

The girl was gone.

He quickly glanced around. The open floor plan was a 'plus' in this case; the clutter was not. Seeing no alternative, he gently shook Veronica's shoulder. When her bleary eyes met his, he explained, "The girl's gone missing."

Veronica blinked twice as the words sank in. When they had, she whacked his arm. "When were you going to tell me?"

The door upstairs clanged shut. Dave and Becky peeked in to see the newlyweds running around frantically. Becky pulled off her light sweatshirt and draped it over the railing as she asked, "What's up?"

"The girl was not here when we awoke," Veronica said primly, glaring at Balthazar.

"She's gone?" Dave repeated as her ran down the stairs to help them search.

Becky took a look around from her higher vantage point and sighed in relief. "Did anyone check the bathroom?"

Merlin's apprentices froze, staring at each other. "No…" Balthazar finally drew out. "Why would we? No one showed her where it was."

Becky pointed at an empty spot on the table closest to the Merlin Circle. "The clothes I left for her are gone. She probably went to take a shower."

The door behind her opened and in walked Bailey, still oblivious to the people around her. She navigated the stairs with her eyes closed, pulling her very wet hair into a ponytail. She hummed 'Secrets' by OneRepublic as she threw her bracelet of amethysts around her hair as a scrunchie.

Becky did a double-take. The girl was wearing the denim skirt, but the plain, V-neck, green T-shirt she had left had somehow changed into the plain, V-neck, violet T-shirt the girl was wearing.

Bailey stepped onto the main floor, wondering how much trouble she'd have with her hair later in the day; she had run her fingers through the light brown mop, but it always frizzed up if she didn't use her special product and brush. She stopped dead in her tracks when she heard an unfamiliar male voice ask, "Where were you?"

She spun around and came face to face with a dangerous-looking man. The long, scraggly hair framed his hard expression and icy green eyes. Bailey, eyes wide in fear, slowly backed up toward the bed she'd woken up on.

Balthazar stayed where he was, as did Veronica and Dave. A transparent purple dome had formed over the girl, a protective shield that he would not force his way through.

Bailey inched ever closer to the Merlin Circle, inwardly cursing herself. She was always - ALWAYS - the perceptive one. She could always sense pranks before anyone fell for them. No one in her high school had managed to sneak up on her. How had four people surprised her?

"Honestly," the blonde woman huffed as she came down the stairs. "Can't you see you're scaring her?" She shook her head at the others and held out a welcoming hand to Bailey. "I'm sorry about them. I'm Becky."

Becky stepped into the Merlin Circle a split second before the teen. Violet flames flared up around them. The girl shrieked and hid under the bed.

Becky's eyebrows went up in amazement, and a healthy dose of fear. "Breathe, Bailey," Becky instructed with a calmness that she didn't feel. "Everything's fine. Nothing to worry about. This is normal around here, I promise."

Balthazar, Veronica, and Dave stood together outside the ring of amethyst fire. "Well," Balthazar said in amusement, indicating the color of the flames, "that's new."

Veronica whacked his arm.


	4. Tears In Heaven

_Hidey-ho, good neighbors! I just want to comment back on the reviews that I got for last chapter. I promise, I'll do this as fast as I can._

_Trans-Siberian Fan 12: LOL. *Tracy whacks Balthazar too* Never gets old._

_Barbie: Close only counts ... Anyway, friends, yes, but can you guess WHY it was Becky who could get close to her?_

_EvilVampireDucky: I'm glad you like my version of Veronica. But I don't know if you'll like her as much in this chapter. Ya know, she's only been in the 2000s for a week, 10 days. Culture shock for Veronica coming up!_

_Maira der Panda: Hope you enjoy this one too! And don't keep your eye on it like Ragetti from POTC would!_

_BlackNightHawk64: I'm actually surprised that more people didn't ask your second question. OK, I chose Bailey because originally I wanted Balthazar to be her father, and he had mentioned that he loved the name Veronica, which is Bailey's middle name. Then I realized that would never work - I mean, he's strung as tight as a Christmas goose, if ya know what I mean. But Bailey (and Veronica) had already stuck. And now I'm killing myself because there's too many 'B' names in this story! And the color purple ... Ever wonder why Balthazar's ring in that sickly green color? And Dave's is that dark forest, emerald green? And Horvath's stone is that brilliant blue? Well, my reasoning is that it's their birthstones, and their birthstones give them more strength than any other stones. Hence, Balthazar has a peridot for August, Dave an emerald for May, and Horvath a sapphire for September. Make sense?_

_OK, I lied about the speed thing. So sue me. Actually, don't. If you do, I won't be able to keep writing!_

* * *

It took Becky ten minutes to calm Bailey to the point of being rational. The dome remained, the Merlin Circle serving as its outer boundary. The dark purple flames faded to lavender and shrank to ankle-high. The three sorcerers shared a Look, silently agreeing to stay on the outside for the time being.

Bailey took a deep, shuddering breath and looked Becky in the eyes. "Where am I? How did I get here? How long have I been here?" the teen rattled off as she collapsed onto the edge of the bed. "Who are you? Who are they? How do you know my name? And why are they staring at me like I'm a science experiment gone wrong?"

Becky hid her smirk, glancing at Dave in amusement. "One of them might be," she muttered under her breath. Louder, she replied, "I can't answer all your questions. But to start out, I'm Becky Barnes. Left to right, that's my boyfriend, Dave Stutler, and his … trainers, Veronica and Balthazar Blake."

Bailey snorted, staring incredulously at the sorcerer. He raised an eyebrow. "You think my name's funny?"

"No, no," the teen assured him, "not at all. I would have pegged you for a Nic. See, you don't exactly fit my image of 'Balthazar.'" With all four sets of eyes on her, she explained, "Tall, bald, red and black, half-demonic…"

"Got the last one right," Dave mumbled.

"Excuse me?" Balthazar glared at him.

"Nothing," Dave said. Veronica barely held back her chuckles.

"_Charmed_?" Becky asked. The teen nodded. "You and I are the only ones here who've seen that. Um, let's see…" The blonde thought for a moment. "Oh! Your name - we looked at your license. I couldn't keep calling you 'the girl.' What were the other questions again?"

"Why they're all staring at me," Bailey ticked off, "where we are, how I got here, and how long I've been here."

"Well…" Becky hesitated, looking to the others for advice. "You're in our apartment."

The teen waited a beat before shaking her head. "Yeah, that doesn't help as much as you think it does. Where's your apartment?" As Dave opened his mouth to respond, she added, "And don't say, 'In a building.'"

Balthazar sighed, realizing that the others were at a loss. "For your safety, we brought you to New York City…" He checked his pocket watch. "…about 51 hours ago. Give or take a few minutes." He watched the girl as his words sank in.

"51 hours?" Bailey repeated in shock. "As in, more than two days ago? You took me from my home in the middle of the night two days ago? What do you people want?" she asked suspiciously, desperately. "My parents will pay any ransom you demand. Wait - I gotta call my parents!" She pat her pockets. "Where's my phone?"

"Phone?" Veronica whispered to Dave.

"It's out here," Balthazar replied, picking it up. "If you drop the dome, I'll bring it in to you."

The girls inside the Merlin Circle stared at him, uncomprehending. "What … dome?" Becky voiced.

All three sorcerers stared back. "The light purple shield thing," Dave said. "You don't see it? It's right here in front of us." To prove his point, he knocked against it three times.

Bailey blinked. "How did you do that? You only moved your one hand.

Becky groaned and walked over to Balthazar, thrusting her hand through the shield she couldn't see. "You owe me an explanation about that, too," she hissed. "But for now, just give me her phone, and the laptop."

The sorcerer stared at her hand for a couple seconds. As understanding lit his eyes, he passed her the requested items. When she had turned around, he pulled his ring off and looked up in wonder. The lavender dome was gone.

"What are you doing?" Veronica whispered.

Becky sat back down next to Bailey and handed the girl her phone. "Here, but I don't know how much good it's gonna do." Bailey stared at her. "You can't call your parents."

"Why not?" the teen asked as Becky opened the laptop and turned it back on.

Balthazar crouched down in front of her and gently turned her face to his. "Your parents are dead," he said as delicately as he could. "Right around the time Dave and I found you, your house exploded. They didn't have a chance to get out."

Bailey's mouth dropped. Finally, she managed to sputter, "You're lying."

His eyes flashed green ice. He was furious that she could suggest such a thing. Then he saw her eyes: panic and desperation warred for dominance, fear that he spoke the truth flickering between them. He relaxed as he realized she was in denial.

He glanced at Becky as she held the computer out to him. "I'm gonna go save Veronica from the techno-babble," she murmured. "It's all set." He nodded absently. "Dave!" she called out, leaving the Circle. "I've only lived in the Computer Age, the 90s and the new millennium, and _I_ have no idea what you're talking about!"

Balthazar placed the laptop in the girl's hands as he sat on the bed next to her. "When we got you back here," he tried to explain, "and we cleaned you up, we searched for your address. This was the article in one of your local papers."

She started crying almost as soon as she started reading. Finally, she set the computer aside. "It's all true?" she breathed, searching him out.

He met her eyes as he nodded. "I'm sorry." She sobbed silently for the three seconds it took him to react. As he gathered her into a hug to comfort her, he felt something around them shudder.

Balthazar looked up at the others. All three of them had felt it too. Veronica mimed that the shield had broken. He nodded, rubbing the girl's back as she cried herself to exhaustion.

* * *

She splashed water on her face. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, Bailey contemplated her future. College was off her radar now, despite being third in her graduating class of 527. She had to get a job. More importantly, she had to find someone she could stay with; she refused to be put in the system. Her eyes widened as she realized something.

Balthazar looked up at her as she hurried down the stairs. She stopped as she reached the bottom and glanced around uncertainly. Rubbing one arm self-consciously, she spoke to the floor. "I have to go home. No one knows where I am." She paused. "The article said I'm missing, and there's an Amber Alert out."

The others conversed with their eyes as she sat on the bottom step, hugging her knees. Twenty seconds passed before Dave and Becky nodded. "Come on, kiddo," Dave said as he offered her his hand. "We'll take you."

"My car's outside," Balthazar reminded him.

"Thanks," the younger man nodded absently as he helped Bailey to her feet. Suddenly he froze. "Uh, Becky," he stammered, "can you - can you pack up some clothes for us? I'm gonna… um… make sure the car's clean."

Becky stared at him for a second, barely containing her confusion. "Sure. Good thing we both have some stuff here. Wanna help?" she asked the unresponsive teen.

As they walked off, (or, more accurately, as Becky led Bailey away,) the sorcerer glared at his apprentice. "I'll have you know, I always keep my car clean," he growled.

"I know," Dave shrugged as he headed up the stairs. "But I needed a non-magical explanation. I wasn't gonna say, 'I'm gonna go change Balthazar's car into a minivan.'"

Five minutes later, when the two girls had joined Dave outside, Veronica shook her head. "What is he worried about? Your car is fine as it is."

Balthazar sighed. Looked like he had a lot of 'splaining to do. Dave really was a lot better at this.

* * *

They were in the car for seven hours. Only an hour and a quarter were spent outside the state of Connecticut. Finally, at 2:45, the three pulled into the parking lot for James T. Kelly, Esq. Bailey, who had been silent the entire ride, was even more reserved after the half-hour talk with the Tiverton police. The cops had been very understanding of her state of mind, explaining to her companions that the gas lines had corroded to the point that a carelessly-flicked, smoldering match had caused the explosion.

James T. Kelly, himself, escorted them to his office. After exchanging some pleasantries, he got down to business. He read the Williams' will, of which Bailey heard nothing, and then handed the girl paper after paper to sign. It must have been 500 pages that needed her initials here and signature there.

Finally, he handed her an envelope. "Don't read this now. Wait until you get settled somewhere. Your parents authorized me," he explained to the oblivious teen, "to consolidate all their bank accounts upon their deaths. I decided to have everything put in yours. Do you have your debit card?" She nodded absently. "Then you should have access to all of it, by now. If you want anything from the safe deposit box, though, you'll have to do it. I wasn't authorized for that."

For the first time, Bailey met the lawyer's eyes. Eventually, she whispered, "Thank you." Dave shook the man's hand and followed the ladies to the car. "Can we go to the bank?" the teen murmured. "I want to close the safe deposit box and my account."

The older two shared a concerned look. "If you do that, you won't be able to get any clothes," Becky pointed out.

Bailey gave them a half-hearted smirk. "I know what I'm doing. They wouldn't have left it all to me if I didn't."

By 4 PM, she had thrown all the possessions from the box onto Becky's purse, cashed out all the bonds, put all the money into her account, withdrew $240 in twenties, and, after a quick conversation with her companions, got seven bank checks, made out to Bank of America, for closing her account. She easily turned in her debit card and thanked the tellers and manager for "everything you've done for me and my family."

When they got back in the car, Dave sighed. "I don't know about you ladies, but I'm starving. None of us have eaten today, and you haven't had anything for three days," he said plainly to the teenager. Her stomach grumbled in agreement.

She blushed, embarrassed. "Well, there's a pizza place not too far from here. And it's practically right next to the mall."

Dave groaned. "I understand that women like to shop, but do you really have to drag me with you?"

They both stared at him, wearing identical smirks. "Of course we do," Bailey chirped with false innocence.

Equally perky, Becky concluded, "Who else is gonna carry our bags?"

Dave let his forehead hit the steering wheel as the girls giggled.

* * *

They stayed in a local hotel for the night at Bailey's insistence. Dave and Becky each admitted that the teen was very persuasive when she wanted to be. She had laid down on one of the beds as soon as they'd opened the door, at about 8:30, and it seemed like she would sleep through the night. Dave and Becky fell asleep watching TV, her head on his shoulder, his arm around her waist.


	5. My Immortal

_Greetings, earthlings! I know it's been a while, but I thought you might like a new short part of the story. Writer's block is a PITA, if ya know what I mean. And one more thing that I'm starting right now: You may have noticed that my chapter titles are song titles. Jessi and I have used this trick before, only we made sure the title was written into the chapter. This time, I'm going for the whole 'theme of the segment' thing. But my favorite styles of music are in the pop-rock-light rock family. So if you know about another song that fits the main theme of the chapter, let me know, and I will give serious consideration to changing it! And this goes for all the chapter previous, too. _

_Read on, minions!_

* * *

Everything remained peaceful until 4:30 AM, when Bailey shrieked. She sat up straight, gasping. Dave and Becky tripped over each other in their haste to check on her.

"What's wrong?" Dave grumbled groggily.

Bailey turned to him slowly, her eyes promising pain. "What do you want?" she growled, getting into a crouched position.

Becky glanced at Dave, whose eyes were clearing more with every second he was awake. She cautiously laid her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Bailey?" she whispered. "Are you OK?"

The teen's head whipped around in confusion. "Becky?"

"Dave?" the young man intoned for himself.

The two women looked at him for a second, and then ignored him. "I'm fine," the teen said softly. "Why?"

"You screamed. Nightmare?" Becky wondered.

Dave flicked one of the lights on as the teen shivered in remembrance. "Not exactly," she muttered darkly. She scooted up to the top of the bed and hugged her knees loosely.

Becky sent a Look at Dave, who nodded in agreement. In unison, they moved the pillows and sat down next to her, with their legs stretched out on the bed. Dave's arm found its way around her shoulder; Becky's hand threaded the girl's hair and eased Bailey's worried head to her shoulder. Dave squeezed her arm in support as his girlfriend whispered, "Tell us about it." The girl shivered again. Dave rubbed her arm comfortingly while Becky gently massaged her scalp.

After a few moments, Bailey sighed, "They're dead because I didn't warn them." Though neither of her companions said a word, she could sense their confusion. "I was on my way home when I felt something give. I sped up, trying to get there faster. Someone clipped me. All of a sudden, I was against a telephone pole, and there was a lot of pressure in my chest that had nothing to do with the accident." She took a deep breath. "The other driver stopped, and he helped me out of the car…" Shaking her head, she continued, "I don't remember much after that. Kicking, scratching, punching, some pain, wandering…" The grip on her knees tightened. "Next thing I know, I'm in New York City, surrounded by strangers."

Save moved his hand to her back. "So why do you think it's your fault that your parents died? He asked quietly. "Did you make the house explode?"

Both adults could feel her hesitation. "No…"

"Did you corrode the gas lines?" he went on.

"No, but -"

"Did you go looking for someone who would crash your car?" Becky added.

"NO!"

"Then how is it your fault?" Dave sighed, reaching his point. "You did everything you could to prevent their deaths. Just because they died despite your best efforts, it does not mean that you are at fault."

They remained silent for a long while as the teenager pondered his words. The sun was slowly rising when she looked at him. Her cheeks were streaked with her tears. "Thanks," she whispered hoarsely. "I needed to hear that." Her eyes were already falling shut again. "You're a good big brother, Dave," she yawned.

Dave looked at Becky, who slowly extracted her hand from Bailey's tangled mop. Raising an eyebrow, he murmured in bewilderment, "But I'm an only child."

"Oh, hush," Becky quietly admonished him, pretending to smack his arm. "She's got the right idea. Let's go back to sleep."

* * *

They all woke up around 9:15. Bailey was the first one ready for the day. Considering they had shopped for her new wardrobe and a set of suitcases, she was proud that she still had $37.82. At 10 am, they checked out of the hotel and had breakfast at a little nook restaurant she knew about.

Her companions protested when she took the check before either of them could, Becky pointing out, "You paid for supper last night, remember?"

"Yeah," Bailey replied, "but you guys paid for the hotel. Besides, you're here to help me. The least I can do is buy your two big meals." Looking at the money in her hand, she added, "And chip in the last of my cash for gas."

Dave shrugged. "Let us worry about gas money," he said, closing her hand around the $12.42, "and any meals we need to eat between now and when we get home."

Becky watched Bailey's eyes light up faintly. The blonde woman had heard the teenager's sleepy mutterings the night before, and knew that the girl had, unsuspectingly, found the one thing she had been worried about: acceptance into a family, even one as haphazard as this one was. "So, do you have anything else to do down here, or should we fill the tank and hit the road?" Becky asked as they opened the car doors.

The brunette hesitated. "One more stop, if we can?"

* * *

One half-hour-long pit stop at a realtor's office, one three-minute gas tank fill-up (that cost $2.61 even though they had not bought fuel before that point in the trip,) and six hours of traffic later, the exhausted trio finally pulled up to Becky's apartment building. "Remind me," Becky demanded of Dave, "if I or we EVER want to visit Cape Cod, to find another way." She shook her head in frustration, saying to no one in particular, "Holy salon, Batman, and I thought Times Square traffic made me want to rip my hair out."

Dave, smothering a grin, looked on from the driver's seat and stared at Bailey, who was dragging her luggage out of the back seat. When she met his eyes, he asked, "Are you gonna be okay with Becky?"

She grinned weakly but sincerely. "We'll be fine, Dad." Her smirk grew as she added with fake machismo, "No one's gonna want to mess with 153 pounds of pure weakling." She slammed the door shut as Dave drove away, laughing.

* * *

Late that night, Becky stood in the doorway between her living room and kitchen, silently watching Bailey. The young woman had fallen asleep on the couch while watching TV. The grief she felt was obviously greater than what she had conveyed; she cried during the funny Snickers commercial with Betty White. Becky couldn't imagine how much pain she was holding inside.

A knock sounded on the neighbor's door, and a man with a British accent asked to be let in. The accent freaked her out a little; it was only a week and a half ago that she had been held hostage by that weird Horvath guy with the glowing blue cane.

Her house guest obviously agreed with her; the dozing teen shivered. Then, the 40-watt bulb pulsed once with a lavender light.

Becky stared at the girl in wonder and confusion. Grabbing a piece of paper and a pen, she scribbled, 'Note to self: ask Bailey what's with the color purple?'


End file.
